Spring-actuated clothespin



Oct. 23, 1951 A. o. HELLKVIST SPRING-ACTUATED CLOTHESPINS Filed Feb. 29, 1948 INVENTOR. (D Y 8 N ALF orro HELLKVIST ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 23, 1951 U N I TED STATES 32,512,619

rsenme-eomunrnnnnofizrnnsrm Alf-Otto 'Hellkv'is't, "Stockholm, sweilen assignor of thirty 'per cen'tto Nils Erl'cssonfvagiiharad, Sweden, and thirty per cent to Axel William Hauffe'nan, Stoc'kho'lm, Sweden .ApplicationzEebruary. 29, 1948, Serial No. 12,182 :In Sweden ..-December-9, 1946 Section 1, Public Law 690, August '8, T946 :Batent expires December '9, 1966 .This invention relates :to spring actuated clothes pins or the likecomprising two jaws .held together by a member encircling the samepsaid member being actuated by a resilient member keeping the jaws pressed against said first-mentioned "member and :the gripping ends of the jaws pressed against each other.

One object of the invention is to provide a spring pm of this kind, wherein the requisite spring force between the jaws is produced with a minimum of spring material, while-the stresses on said material are maintained within reasonable values, Another object of the invention is to provide a pin adapted for mass production, the individual parts 'of which are mutually held together perfectly in all directions.

The invention will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are part sectional side views of a spring or clothes pin made in accordance with the invention and shown in two different positions of adjustment.

Fig. 3 shows a view of the inside of Gene .jaw with the pin controlling members represented in section.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a somewhat modified clothes pin constructed according to the invention.

Referring to the figures reference numerals l and I2 designate the two jaws of the clothes pin, which are formed in known manner with opposed bevelled surfaces M at the ends of the gripping jaws of the pin. Immediately inwardly of said bevelled portions, the jaws are provided with rounded recesses IS with which the clothes pin grips lines or the like. The opposite ends of the jawshereinafter termed the actuating ends are tapered to an outwardly decreasing thickness. The jaws are provided, approximately centrally thereof, with inner shoulders 18 adjacent shallow recesses 20 disposed nearer the actuating ends. Preferably such recesses are rounded adjacent said shoulders and terminate, toward the actuating ends, in offsets 22,

Outside the recesses 20, the external sides of the jaws are formed with transversely extending grooves 24. Within such grooves is located a retaining ring or iron wire 26 bent around the jaws so as to hold the same slightly spaced apart. Disposed in the recesses 20 is a spring 28 of U- shape when viewed in the direction of the pivotal axes of the jaws, the bent portion of said spring being arranged adjacent the shoulders l8 and the free ends thereof pressing against the laws.

In the embodiment s'h'ow n in Figs. '1 to 3, the spring-128 is made of pianowirezor the like-which has b'e'enfibent :so as to "form two opposed *Us "d'i'soses .in' parallel planes, and interconnected at one aw.

'When the -actuating ends of the jaws I 0 "and I2 are pressed toward each other from the "position shown Fig. '1 to that shown in 2, each pivots about an axis, said axes coinciding with portions of the ir-on wire "26 engaging the respective grooves24. 'Thesepivo'tal axes are-:denoted by 50 and 32 in Fig. The U-shaped spring 2 8 prevents the wire :26 from jumping out of the grooves 24 due to its pressure acting outwardly of the iaws. "On the ether hand, the wire 26 holds the spring against movement in a lateral direction. The pressure of the spring 28 acts upon the jaws cf the clothes pin for some distance beyond the-pivotal'axes 30 and 32 'towards the actuating ends, and will "thus return the jaws to the position-shown Fig. *1.

Due to the fact that the turning movement of the jaws takes place about the axes 3!] and 3'2 located on the outside thereof and that these axes are also "on a level with'the middle portion of the U-sh'aped springz'fl, the important result is achieved that the re'cesses' 2D and thus the spring are moved forwardly rei'ative'to saidaxes, that is to say towards the gripping end, as'w'il'l be clearly seen from Figs. 1 and 2. Further, this results in the lever arm by which the free ends of the U-spring act upon the jaws about the pivot points 30 and 32 being reduced, so that the counter pressure of the spring, increased by the compression, is compensated for. In this manner it is possible to use a single spring, which consequently need not be wound in a number of convolutions.

When the actuating ends of the jaws are moved toward one another, the jaw pprtions located on the opposite side of the pivot axes 30 and 32 are moved apart. Since the middle portion of the U-spring is now situated on a level with the pivot axes or even projects slightly beyond the latter in a direction toward the actuating end, the portions of the walls of the recesses 20 located adjacent the shoulders 18 will also be moved apart. Thus, the middle portion of the spring is not subjected to any compression during use of the clothes pin, its radius of curvature being, on the contrary, increased to some extent, which also favors the possibility of using a spring of inwardly over the normally straight portions, of the U-spring.

The embodiment shown in Fig, 1 differs from that heretofore described solely by the feature that the U-spring 34 is in the form of a band or strip. The recesses 20 are preferably slightly hollowed-out, as indicated at 36, so that there will be no contact at these points, which facilitates the displacement of the U-spring in the lengthwise direction of the pin into its position on assembly, for instance in the case where the spring might have projecting burrs that might catch in the wooden material of the jaw.

What I claim is: i

1. A clothes pin comprising a pair of opposed gripping jaws terminating in actuating extremities, the said jaws being provided on their inner faces and substantially centrally of the length thereof with opposed complementary recesses, each recess comprising a substantially straight side wall having a rounded shoulder directed to ward the gripping jaws and an offset portion at the opposite extremity of the recess, a U-shaped spring seated within said recesses and engaging the opposed curved and side walls thereof for resiliently urging the jaws into gripping position, a transversely disposed retaining ring surrounding said jaws and U-shaped spring for securing the clothes pin in assembled relation, and means for preventing movement of said retaining ring lengthwise of said jaws, the retaining ring being so positioned that when the actuating extremities are compressed so as to open the gripping jaws thedistance between the planes of the tips of the arms of the U-shaped spring and of the retaining ring is reduced.

' 2. A clothes pin comprising a pair of opposed gripping. jaws terminating in actuating extremities, the said jaws being provided on their inner faces and substantially centrally of the length thereof with opposed complementary recesses, each recess comprising a substantially straight side wall having a rounded shoulder directed toward the gripping jaws and an offset portion at the opposite extremity of the recess, a U-shaped spring seated within said recesses and engaging the opposed curved and side walls thereof for resiliently urging the jaws into gripping position, retaining grooves on said jaws positionedrsubstantially opposite the point where the straight wall of each recess merges with the rounded shoulder thereof, and a transversely disposed retaining ring having portions seated within said grooves and surrounding said jaws and U-shaped spring for securing the clothes pin in assembled relation, the retaining ring being so positioned thatwhen the actuating extremities are compressed so as to open the gripping jaws the distance between the planes of the tips of the arms of the U-shaped spring and of the retaining ring is reduced.

3. A clothes pin comprising a pair of opposed gripping jaws terminating in actuating extremities, the said jaws being provided on their inner faces and substantially centrally of the length thereof with opposed complementary recesses, each recess forming ofiset portions at the extremities thereof, a U-shaped spring seated within said recesses and engaging the opposed walls thereof for urging the jaws into gripping position, the ends of said U-shaped spring extending towardsaid actuating extremities, retaining grooves on said jaw positioned opposite said spring, and a transversely disposed retaining ring having portions seated within said grooves and surrounding said jaws and U-shaped spring for securing the clothes pin in assembled relation and actuating said spring to resiliently urge the jaws into gripping position, the retaining ring being so positioned that when the actuating extremities are compressed so as to open the gripping jaws the distance between the planes of the ends of the U-shaped spring and of the retaining ring is reduced.

ALF OTTO HELLKVIST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the France July 25, 1914 

